Adjudication No. 444 (June 1990) [1990] APC 16

ADJUDICATION No. 444 (June 1990)

An alleged Truth interview with the author of a book on Sir Billy Shedden is the subject of a complaint to the Press Council. The complaint was upheld.

The author, Dr M. Bernie Schedvin, a Melbourne academic and political writer, denies any such interview took place. She describes it as a "fabrication and a gross misrepresentation". There was, she says, only a brief phone exchange between her and Truth's Ian Dougall after he had rung.

The subject of the exchange was Dr Schedvin's book "Billy Snedden: An Unlikely Liberal", then about to be published. According to Truth and an earlier story published in The Australian, Dr Schedvin had tracked down the "mystery woman" who was with Sir Billy when he died of a heart attack in a Sydney hotel in 1987. Truth said the woman had spoken frankly and would be quoted in the book.

Truth wont on to attribute various quotes, mostly indirect, to Dr Schedvin, and then repeated what she describes as "some of the more sensational elements of Truth's coverage of Sir Billy's death".

Among the specific complaints are ...

• "Ms Schedvin confirmed details of her meeting with the woman ..." Untrue. There was absolutely no confirmation of such a meeting because no such meeting took place.

• "...and said the woman's account of Sir Billy's last hours would be included in the book." I said no such thing.

• "She tracked down the mystery woman through Liberal Party contacts in Sydney." I never said this and would not have done so because it is false.

• Ms Schedvin ... "quotes her extensively in her book." Not true. Very little direct quotation of the lady is included in the book. This is wild guesswork on Dougall's part and merely part of the beat-up.

• "She added: 'I am not going to say more about the woman until the book is published next month'." I said no such thing -- there was no interview. Furthermore, I have no intention of saying anything whatsoever about the woman.

Dr Schedvin also makes other, less serious, complaints against Truth.

Since Truth has made no response to four requests for its answers to the complaints, the Press Council accepts entirely Dr Schedvin's account of Truth's contact with her.

The Press Council condemns as strongly as possible Truth's fabrication of an interview and the almost classic beat-up of a brief phone encounter.